


Voluntate

by Yesyasyeah



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Veritaserum, Work In Progress, proximity bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2020-10-10 15:44:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yesyasyeah/pseuds/Yesyasyeah
Summary: Harry finds himself in charge of Malfoy's parole with no one to blame but himself. Cliches galore!





	1. Did I Say That?

The boy who walked before the Wizengamot was hardly recognizable. His face smeared with dirt, his hair greasy and unkempt, his shoulders slumped, grey jumpsuit hanging off his frail frame. Worst of all, he looked apathetic about it all. Draco Malfoy didn't look ashamed to be seen in this state. Neither did he look haughty; staring everyone down as if even at his worst, he knew he was superior. Those were the only two scenarios Harry had prepared himself for. Instead, he watched Malfoy’s blank eyes stare directly ahead. His attorney, Mr. Lamont, leaned in to ask him a question and was answered with one slow nod.  
Harry first met Mr. Lamont last week. It had been almost two months since the final battle. Harry had done as much as he could after the fact. Shaking hands, attending funerals, reading speeches handed to him by either Hermione or Kingsley. Even debriefing the Aurors on any information he had regarding Death Eaters that had yet to be caught and generally just trying not to vomit every time someone congratulated him on his survival, as if those who didn't weren't as commendable as himself. He wasn't sure how long he lasted, but soon enough he had holed himself up in Grimmauld Place, blocked the floo, and refused to answer the door.  
Kreacher was under strict instructions to turn away any owls that weren't from either Ron or Hermione. It took some convincing, but eventually they promised to leave him be until he was ready. He also suspected they were to thank for the end of the constant banging on his front door. Thank Merlin Hermione was scary enough to keep even Kingsley, the new Minister for Magic, away.  
Harry had known it wouldn't last forever. Leaving his bed only to use the loo. Eating his meals in bed courtesy of Kreacher. No obligations. No madman in his head.  
The quiet ended on one of his rare excursions to the kitchen. Kreacher had refused to bring him some firewhisky, muttering something about “smelly" and “layabout.” Harry was sneaking back up the stairs, liquor in hand, when a loud banging happened at the door. He startled like a first year getting caught by Filch and slipped quite a few steps down before he landed on his arse. The firewhisky crash landed on the bottom floor with an explosion of glass and liquid. 

“Harry! Was that you? Are you okay?” Bang bang bang. “HARRY! Don't make me reducto this door!”

“M’fine Hermione. Don't break my door.”

He massaged his sore arse as he walked down the stairs, careful to step around the mess at the bottom. He eased the door open, but only a crack. She was supposed to be leaving him alone.

“There’s an emergency I take it?”

Ron poked his head out from behind her. “Blimey Harry, what is that stench? You smell like the dumpster at the Hog’s Head.” 

“Honestly Ronald, have some tact. Although Harry: he’s not wrong. Can we come in?” Without waiting for a response she pushed the door open and slid past. 

“Sorry mate,” Ron muttered as he followed. 

Hermione took one look at the mess at the bottom of the stairs before vanishing it with a flick of her wand. Then she turned her wand to Harry's face and muttered something he couldn't hear. His cheeks and chin started to tingle and when he reached up to touch his face he felt only smooth skin.

“Hey! I've never been able to grow a full beard before, I kinda liked it!”

“Yes, well, keep it groomed next time. Who knows what was growing in that one. Now, are you going to go shower or should I get rid of the rest of your hair too?” 

“She’s in a right state mate, I don't think it’s an empty threat!” 

“Okay, okay,” Harry muttered.

Harry heard Hermione yelling at Ron as he made his way to the upstairs washroom: “It’s not my fault the new Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is an unqualified, sadistic TROLL! EVEN KINGSLEY CAN’T…”

“FILTHY HALF-BREEDS! MUDBLOODS! BRINGING SHAME ON THE BLACK NAME!”

Harry slammed the door to the washroom shut. He’d let Hermione deal with Walburga. She was the one that woke that horrid portrait.  
Harry had to admit his shower felt amazing. After, he found a clean pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt to throw on. He treaded slowly down the stairs. After what he heard Hermione yelling about, he was fairly sure he knew what she wanted: more speeches. Harry didn’t understand how she had the energy to care anymore. She never took a break after the war ended. Splitting her time between the Ministry, the library, and rambling to anyone who would listen about what needed to be done for government reformation.  
Harry began steeling himself to say no. It was never easy to say to Hermione, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t be the ministry poster boy anymore. It couldn’t keep falling on him to inspire people not to be corrupt.  
Harry entered the drawing room at the same time Kreacher popped in with tea and biscuits. He took Hermione’s brief distraction to pre-empt her discussion:

“No more speeches. No more ministry. I trust Kingsley and Arthur to figure it out. I mean it Hermione.”

Hermione glanced sideways at Ron, who appeared to be fuming. Hermione hesitated before saying: “it’s not about a speech… it’s about Draco Malfoy.” 

Harry blanched.

He chanced a glance at Ron, who said, “don’t look at me! I tried to talk her out of coming. I couldn't care less what happens to that stupid, ferrety git. And of all the things that have been happening, she thinks THIS is worth coming over to pull you out of your stupor.”

“He has a right to at least know what’s happening Ron. You know he does.”

“And YOU know exactly what he’s going to do about it. He doesn’t owe anybody anything. Especially not Malfoy.”

Harry’s curiosity was certainly piqued. He thought he better pipe in before their argument started getting out of control. He took a deep breath and sat himself down on one of the armchairs across from the couch they were seated on. “Alright then, let’s hear it. What’d he do now?”

Hermione gave him a grateful look. “He didn’t do anything-" Ron scoffed, “shh Ronald, it’s the Wizengamot. Most of the Death Eaters are in custody and the trials are underway, as you know. Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban. However, you know he was one of the most well known and prominent Death Eaters and the backlash for his sentence has been uproarious. People don’t believe it’s enough. They want worse for him. The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is gunning for the reinstatement of the dementors in Azkaban. Other more extreme members are whispering about the merits of what they hear about the muggle death penalty. However, the majority have been talking about getting their revenge through Draco and Narcissa. They’re fighting for lifetime for both of them and… and it’s starting to look like they might get what they want. Nobody cares what happens to the Malfoys Harry.”

Harry’s stomach was rolling. A distraught pale face in a bathroom mirror flashed before his eyes. 

Ron spoke up then, “Harry doesn’t care about the Malfoys either Hermione and he doesn’t need to be guilt tripped into it.” 

“Guilt tripped into what?,” Harry asked. “What could I possibly do? Kingsley doesn’t even have power over the Wizengamot, how could I?”

“Well,” Hermione sat up a little straighter, “I think it would be important for them to have a complete picture of Malfoy’s involvement. I don’t believe Malfoy had as much choice in his decisions as we once thought and I- Harry, I think you know that too.”

“I do,” Harry whispered, “what can we do?”

“I’d like to go see his lawyer with you. His trial is in six days and I believe it would be really powerful if you stood up and spoke as a witness for him… NOT to make up any nice memories of him, just to present evidence of the moments when we saw him hesitate or regret what he was doing…”

“When can we meet his lawyer then?”

“Tomorrow morning. 10 o’ clock.”

Ron stormed out right then without a word. Harry and Hermione heard the front door open and close behind him followed by the faint pop of his disapparation.  
That was how Harry found himself here now, six days later. Sitting beside Hermione, staring at Draco Malfoy, and waiting to be called as a witness in front of the entire Wizengamot and a very large press pool. As the Chief Warlock (some ancient man named Redfield) finally called for witnesses, Mr. Lamont made eye contact with Harry, who gave him a sharp nod. 

“I’d like to call Harry James Potter to the stand.”

The room erupted with gasps and murmurs. Harry saw the first sign of emotion in Malfoy. His eyes widened… he looked terrified and Harry didn’t understand why. Mr. Lamont had said he was going to refrain from telling Malfoy that Harry would be testifying. He thought it would get Malfoy’s hopes up and he didn’t believe that Harry would actually go through with it. That’s why he was sure to receive confirmation from Harry before announcing it to the crowd.  
The speech he had memorised was mostly of Hermione’s design. Mr. Lamont was extremely impressed by her and was sure to let her know she had a job waiting for her if she ever decided to go through law school. It began with Harry explaining what a git Malfoy was in school with him. Hermione thought it was important that they knew he and Malfoy were not friends. Therefore they would have to acknowledge that the statement on Malfoy’s behalf was not based on debt to an old school friend, but was in fact just a plea to do the right thing and listen to the facts.  
As Harry was relaying their tumultuous school rivalry, the color remaining in Malfoy’s face was slowly draining. Harry kept going, just trying to finish while keeping his nausea at bay. Then Harry talked about finding Malfoy in the bathroom sixth year. Hearing him yell at Snape about not having a choice. Watching him lower his wand against Dumbledore. Watching Voldemort himself threatening him into using the Cruciatus Curse. How he refused to identify Harry at the manor. How he loved and admired his mother and father more than anything else. Finally, he spoke about the lengths with which anyone would go to save the ones they love. Including himself.  
The room was silent for a while after Harry finished speaking. He tried to stop his hands from trembling while he walked back to his seat. Ron always called this the ‘Saviour Effect’...when the whole room would just gape at Harry after a speech before erupting into applause. There was no applause this time though. Just more angry murmurs. He didn’t think that was a good sign. Hermione leaned in then and whispered: “that went really well. It looked like they were listening Harry, really listening.”  
The rest of the trial passed in a blur. Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off of Malfoy’s face and Malfoy was determinedly not looking at him. Eventually they were dismissed so the Wizengamot could discuss the sentence. When they reconvened, the Chief Warlock looked furious as he announced: “We, the Wizengamot, have found ourselves at a stalemate. It has been decided that Draco Abraxas Malfoy will serve five years. The majority have voted for house arrest rather than Azkaban. However, unless we can come to an agreement on the terms of a suitable accommodation, Mr. Malfoy will indeed be sent to Azkaban for the entirety. We will reconvene tomorrow at 9 in the morning to further discuss the possibilities.”

“May I ask a question, your Honor?” Mr. Lamont stood as he spoke. 

“Proceed.”

“What, exactly, are the issues with the house arrest?”

“Malfoy Manor is no longer in the possession of the Malfoy family as it was given to the ministry for reparations via Lucius Malfoy’s sentencing. Along with a fair amount of the Malfoy fortune. Furthermore, what is still left will not be available to Mr. Malfoy until his sentencing is complete. So where, pray tell, would Mr. Malfoy complete his house arrest when he has no house nor any means to procure living arrangements?”

“So, if we are able to procure a living arrangement for him, he will be granted house arrest?”

“I- well- It’s not that simple! It’s not a simple case of finding him a cozy loft! We have agreed that he will need constant supervision. The Auror department hardly has the time or money to babysit Mr. Malfoy 24/7. We're in a post-war state, the Aurors are far too busy!” 

Harry was still watching Malfoy. He was trying to decide what emotion he was seeing right now. It looked like hope. He'd never seen Malfoy look like that before. Harry was on his feet before he even knew what he was doing. He felt Hermione try to tug him back down to the seat. The whole room had already turned to look at him. “Er…”

The Chief Warlock was the first to recover. “Do you need something Mr. Potter?”

“Er… I’ll take him.”

“What do you mean you’ll take him?”

Harry cleared his throat. “I mean Malfoy. I have a house he can stay at. I’ll also volunteer to keep an eye on him.”

“Mr. Potter,” the Chief Warlock chuckled, “although I appreciate your guardian angel complex that the public so adores, it’s hardly your problem what happens to Mr. Malfoy here. Furthermore, my dear boy, you’re certainly not qualified to be guarding any prisoners!”

That smarmy bastard. Harry gritted his teeth. When he spoke, it was so low that he could see everyone in the room leaning in to hear him. “I certainly was qualified enough to rid the world of Voldemort, if you recall?” the whole room gasped. “I have dueled my fair share of Death Eaters and lived to tell the tale. And believe me, Draco Malfoy is no Bellatrix Lestrange. I know for a fact that I have seen more action than most of your Aurors. It is insulting for you to dare tell me my qualifications for guarding a school aged boy when you are well aware of what I have survived thus far. Especially since I don’t recall seeing your face at the Battle of Hogwarts. Sir.”

The Chief Warlock’s face was slowly turning purple as he tried to hold in his rage. For the first time, probably ever, Harry was happy that the press was here. He knew he overstepped, but even Redfield wasn’t stupid enough to insult the Saviour of the Wizarding World in front of the media. It was the witch one row behind and to the left of Redfield that finally spoke up. “Mr. Potter, sir, he would need 24/7 surveillance. Certainly, you wouldn’t be willing to essentially put yourself on house arrest as well?”

After casting Harry a wary glance, Mr. Lamont chimed in, “I believe we can all agree that Mr. Potter is correct in his assessment of his own qualifications, can we not?” There was a murmur of assent. “Then in regards to the constant surveillance, may I suggest a proximity bond rather than house arrest? That way our hero here wouldn’t be tucked away from us. He’d be quite able to do as he pleases so long as Mr. Malfoy here was near him. Furthermore, Mr. Potter could conduct regular wand checks. Would that be appeasing for the Wizengamot?”

====  
====

Two hours later, Harry and Hermione are seated on a bench in a deserted corridor at the Ministry. Harry is bent over with his head in his hands. “Hermione, what did I just do?” 

“Oh Harry… you never think anything through first do you? This could be really dangerous you know! I only meant for you to keep him from rotting away in Azkaban for the rest of his life! Five years would have been fine Harry! He would have been perfectly okay after five years there. He probably even deserves that sentence. But now? Now you’re going to be bonded to him! Now he’s going to have access to you even when you’re sleeping!”

“Bloody Hell Hermione, he’s not going to kill me in my sleep. He’s not a murderer. Isn’t that what we came here to prove today? Him lowering his wand and all that?”

Hermione huffed, “perhaps. However, he’s never hated anyone more than he hates you. Honestly, it would be just like you. Survive everything that you’ve survived so far and find your demise through the bloody ferret.”

The door across from them opened. Mr. Lamont stepped outside, “Mr. Potter, Head Auror Robards will be down shortly. Would you join me in here to go over the details of the contract?”

“Of course sir.”

Harry followed Lamont into the room and was directed into a seat directly across from Malfoy who had his hands folded in his lap and his eyes trained on the table. Two Aurors were standing behind him. 

Mr. Lamont pulled a chair to the side of the table so he was seated between the two boys. “As you both know, the bond will be implemented through this contract. The bond will be one-sided. Mr. Malfoy must remain within a 10 square metre radius or he will suffer physically. Any illegal activities or untoward behavior will lead to the termination of the contract. After which, Mr. Malfoy will spend the remaining time in Azkaban. Mr. Potter may terminate the contract at any moment for any reason. Mr. Potter will also perform a Priori Incantatem on Mr. Malfoy’s wand once every week. He will report any odd or illegal spells along with a description of Mr. Malfoy’s behavior in a weekly report to Head Auror Robards. After one year, we will reconvene with the Wizengamot to renegotiate the terms of the contract. Do either of you have any questions?”

They both shook their heads. 

“Lovely. I will go and fetch Head Auror Robards.”

Lamont returned shortly with Robards in tow, who greeted Harry with an enthusiastically firm handshake. “Wonderful to see you again Mr. Potter. You know, Kingsley keeps telling me how easily you always find trouble, but I have to admit: I did not see this one coming. I feel obligated to remind you that you have a standing invitation to join the Auror training program at any time. You could do a lot of good with the Auror Force. More so than just helping one Death Eater, I’m sure?”

Harry repeated the sound bite he had continually been spewing to the press: “I’m not certain what my next steps are going to be, but I thank you for your confidence in me and your patience while I review my options.” It was a line Hermione had drilled into his head after several quotes of him saying: “I dunno, bugger off,” were printed. It had worked wonderfully every time, this instance included.  
It seemed to pacify Robards. “Thought I’d at least try one more time,” he said, “if, at any time, you decide to join us, I’d be happy to see you in my office.”

“Thank you sir,” Harry replied. Even though he rubbed his experience in the Wizengamot’s face to get his way during Malfoy’s trial, he felt significantly slimier about the idea of accepting an auror position without any of the N.E.W.T.s or training the rest of the aurors had to go through. 

The rest of the meeting was a blur. Hermione, bless her, read through the entire lengthy contract with Mr. Lamont to make sure there weren’t any surprises. Then Head Auror Robards, Malfoy, and Harry all had to sign. Immediately after signing, Harry felt a tingle travel his body and find a home in his left hand. The reality of the situation hit when everybody just left. Mr. Lamont and Robards had to get home to their families. Hermione headed to the Burrow to presumably fill the Weasleys in on what happened. Harry found himself alone in a meeting room with Malfoy, who seemed determined to avoid eye contact indefinitely.


	2. Voluntate

Harry had no idea what he was supposed to do next. He could not believe Hermione just left him alone here. “Er, we can’t apparate from here, so I guess we just leave the ministry and I can side-along you. I’ll have to tell you the address when we get there, I’m the Secret Keeper. The rooms are a bit dusty, kind of disgusting actually. The whole house really… sorry. I’m sure Kreacher can help clean up one of the rooms. Maybe some food though first? You look so scrawny. More than usual. Mrs. Weasley would lose her mind if I showed up on her doorstep looking how you’re looking. Merlin, I wonder if the Weasley’s already know what I’ve done? I think they..”

“Stop rambling Potter, I have enough of a headache as it is,” Malfoy finally said.

“Right, sorry. Let’s, uh, go then, yeah?” Harry watched as Malfoy struggled to stand. He must have been half carried by those Aurors before. Harry instinctively reached forward to help him walk, but the glare he received was enough to remind him who this was. He looked fragile, but he was still Draco bloody Malfoy. 

It was a long, slow walk through the atrium. What they encountered could only be described as a mob. The press had stuck around to get a glimpse of the situation, the flash bulbs were blinding, and people were screaming about how unfair they thought the situation was. Luckily Kingsley had the forethought to send some guards down to escort them outside. Even so, Harry was being pulled at from every direction. It wasn’t that different from a normal venture outside for him; witches and wizards just wanted to touch him for some reason he would never be able to understand. They seemed to be reaching for Malfoy for completely different reasons. It was like they were trying to separate him from their precious hero so they could carry out their own personal revenge. 

They only had a few more feet before the exit, but when Harry checked behind him he started to panic. Malfoy had blood running down his face. One of the guards must have gotten taken over by the crowd and the only one remaining in the back was going to be overpowered any second now. 

“INPULSA,” screamed Harry. The crowd jolted back briefly and he took advantage of the distraction. He grabbed Malfoy by the scruff of the neck and shoved him in front of himself and through the front doors. A quick turn and a pop and Harry and Malfoy found themselves in an open field. 

Malfoy spun in a circle, “Merlin that hurt, what was that?! Where are we? Please tell me you don’t live in a field. Do you live in a tent? Is that what you’re secret keeper for? Your own personal tent? I swear scarhead, if it’s a muggle tent I’d rather..”

“You’d rather what? Be cellmates with your father?”

“..no.”

“Thought so. Charlie Weasley taught me that little spell. Sends a shock in a radius around you. They tried using it on the dragons for a while but it never worked. Only problem is that you can’t skip anyone, it just hits everyone around you. Anyway, Harry James Potter lives at 12 Grimmauld Place. Sometimes someone latches on when I try to apparate away so I have to pick a random location first. Ready?” Harry realized that was the second time he’d been rambling already today. Maybe he really had been spending too much time by himself if even Malfoy was seeming like an entertaining conversationalist. 

Malfoy offered his elbow, “no reason to manhandle me this time.” 

With a roll of his eyes, Harry brought them to his front doorstep, “just be quiet and don’t say anything until we reach the drawing room. Got it?” 

===  
===

In the drawing room waiting for them were Hermione, Ron, and George Weasley. Harry obviously should have been expecting that so who knew why he was surprised. Hermione took one look at them and asked if they had been fighting already. After Harry explained about the mob she rolled her eyes, “why didn’t you just go to Kingsley’s office and use his personal floo? He’s let you use it before.” 

Harry gave her a sheepish look. He hadn’t actually thought about that, but he definitely would next time. He could feel Malfoy’s glare burning into the back of his skull though so he decided to change the subject quickly. “Any of you seen Kreacher yet? I’m starving!”

Kreacher appeared immediately and led them down to the kitchen for a feast while making several comments about how nice it was to entertain for those who would actually agree to sit at a table. The table was so full it reminded Harry of Hogwarts. He made a mental note to have friends over more often. Malfoy sat quietly at one end while the rest of them gathered at the other. Ron and George didn’t seem to have any qualms about berating Harry for being thick in front of Malfoy. In fact, the entire meal was spent explaining to Harry what an idiotic choice he’d made as well as reminiscing about every other idiotic choice they could remember Harry making. Harry could only shut Ron up after he mentioned that time he screamed at Fleur about going to the ball with him. George was harder to stop. He was proud of every stupid thing he had ever done. Especially since they all involved Fred.

George cried for a week straight after Fred died. Harry remembered thinking he might never recover from losing his twin. One morning, however, when Harry was still staying at the burrow, he came downstairs to find George making a disaster in the kitchen. Pots and pans were overflowing, it looked like there had been an explosion on one wall, several indecipherable objects were strewn across the floor, and Molly and Ginny were sitting wide eyed at the kitchen table. Harry sat down to join them, “what’s going on?” 

“George has decided it’s important for Fred’s legacy to go on. He found one of Fred’s notebooks with a bunch of unfinished ideas for the joke shop in it. Said he’s going to make them all happen and dedicate a section of the shop to ‘Fred’s Fantastical Findings’ or something. He’s been at it all night,” replied Ginny. 

Ever since then, George has been working non-stop for the shop. He has also demanded that anytime anyone thinks about Fred for absolutely any reason, they have to say it out loud. 

===  
===

Eventually the conversation dies down and they fall into an awkward silence as they start to remember their quiet dinner guest. 

Hermione took a deep breath, “I’ve asked George to bring something along tonight… it’s, um, well something he’s been working on with Lee Jordan. It does seem to do as intended and the theory is actually quite fascinating! I got to look at their formula when they told me about it a few days ago. I think it’s perfectly safe!”

“Of course it is,” interjected George, “anyway, what better test subject than a ferret, eh?” 

Ron snickered. Hermione looked disgusted, “animal cruelty is not a joke George!”

“Oh come on, you know I wasn’t talking about actual animal cruelty… just a little Malfoy cruelty. Nothing he doesn’t deserve I’m sure..”

At this point Harry could tell that Malfoy was listening to their conversation. He had his hands folded in his lap and was almost as pale as he was at the trial earlier. 

“Stop it,” Harry said, “you’re freaking him out. Nobody’s doing any experiments. What even is it?”

“Ah!” Exclaimed George, “that’s the best part. We’ve merged a version of veritaserum with polyjuice potion!”

“...so...what? You still have to tell the truth, but at least you can look like somebody else while you do it?” asked Harry.

“Nope. It’s a potion to reveal intentions. We tried it on Lee first. He chattered for almost 11 hours about every intention he’d ever had before we figured out the antidote. It was priceless! Anyway, we altered it quite a bit after that. Merged it with an aspect of polyjuice. After you add someone’s essence, the focus of the intentions is in relation to that person only so it doesn’t take nearly as long and once they’ve finished, the potion will wear off naturally.”

“And that means...what?” 

“Well,” continued George, “that means we put some of Harry’s hairy hair in the flask, have Malfoy over there drink it, and he will reveal everything he ever intended to do to you. Including, but not limited to, any future harm. We’re calling it Voluntate!”

“I cannot,” Hermione stated, “leave you here with him alone without worrying constantly. Either we set up a system where there is always someone from the Order here while you’re sleeping or he takes this potion to prove he’s not going to hurt you.”

“Obviously if the slimy git’s intentions are to murder you then you send him to Azkaban, yeah?” Ron remarked. 

Harry thought that wasn’t actually such a bad idea. He may look fragile right now, but he was still Malfoy. Harry looked down the table at him, “seems fair to me, do you agree?”  
“To what? Ingesting a homemade potion that will make me reveal every single time I’ve wanted to punch you in the face in front of you and three of your best mates?! That, frankly, seems like the most idiotic thing I could ever do,” countered Malfoy. 

Harry glanced at Ron, who had been slightly glowering all night, and thought that Malfoy might have a point: “alright, just in front of me then.”

“NO,” squeaked Malfoy, “no. nope.” 

“Well that’s not suspicious at all,” commented George.

“I’ll do it in front of um… G-Granger. Just her, no one else,” Malfoy pleaded. 

Ron almost doubled over in laughter. “Ha! If you think Hermione is the least likely one to punch you than you have a very short memory!”

===  
===

In the end they agreed to let Hermione be the witness. Harry, Ron, and George were currently sitting in the hallway. Hermione had blocked all of their tricks. The doors were locked, they couldn’t hear anything, and even the handy old extendable ears couldn’t sneak past. It had been almost two hours now. 

“Do you think he’s done something to her?” Ron asked. “Should we blast the door open? It’s been ages.” 

“He spent most of his school years planning how to harm me, I’m sure it’s a long list,” Replied Harry. “Plus, if you barge in there implying that you don’t think Hermione can protect herself against that scrawny git, then I’d be more worried about your safety than his. In fact, we probably should have taken her wand. Do you think he’s still alive in there?”

Just then, the doors swung open and Hermione emerged on her own. Her eyes were puffy, she had clearly been crying. 

“What’s wrong?”  
“Are you alright?”  
What happened?”

Hermione assured them that she was fine and Malfoy was just waiting in the drawing room. “He doesn’t mean any harm to Harry,” she whispered, “and he.. when he was done with the potion.. he apologized. To me. Give him a chance. Just trust me that he deserves that at least, okay? Especially you Harry...be patient please.”

The three boys gave a bewildered nod. There wasn’t much that they wouldn’t do for her. During the war, they had all learned (especially Harry) the importance of second chances. 

“It’s been an extremely long day for all of us,” she continued, “I think it’s time we go and let these two get some rest. Love you Harry.” Hermione reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“Yes, love you Harry!” Ron and George said in unison. They both started making kissy noises and leaning toward him. 

“Get out of here, you maniacs,” Harry laughed. 

They left through the floo and for the second time that day Harry was left in a silent room with Draco Malfoy. All he could see was the back of his head as he sat in Harry’s favorite chair. Harry walked around to the front of him and immediately saw that Malfoy’s face was roughly the same shade as a tomato and his eyes were shut tight. 

“What did she tell you I said?” Malfoy asked. 

“Er.. just that you didn’t have any immediate plans to murder me I guess?”

Malfoy slowly opened his eyes and if they were red rimmed, Harry chose not to comment on it. “I’m knackered, ready for bed?” he said instead. 

Harry didn’t think any of the bedrooms would be ready yet so he asked Malfoy if he would be okay on the couch just for one night. 

“An upgrade from the cement floor I’ve been sleeping on, so yes,” Malfoy said. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, they have cots in Azkaban,” Harry automatically replied.

“They do, they just conveniently misplaced mine after my first night there.”

“...you were there for almost two months..”

“They shockingly weren’t entirely accommodating to Death Eaters.”

Harry didn’t know how to reply to that. He said goodnight and started heading to his bedroom. At the top of the first flight of stairs he felt a sharp pain in his left hand and a loud groan coming from downstairs. He’d forgotten about the bond! He ran back downstairs and found Malfoy doubled over and breathing heavily. The back of his shirt had ridden up and there were bruises everywhere. 

“Kreacher!” Harry yelled, “can you bring some bruise healing paste and essence of dittany to the upstairs toilet please?” Kreacher bowed and popped out of existence. “I’m so sorry Malfoy’” Harry continued, “I completely forgot about the bond. Are you alright? Let me help you upstairs. You can just stay in my room tonight and we’ll figure out how far away we can be from each other tomorrow okay?”


	3. Promises Promises

Harry brought him into the 3rd floor loo. It was the only one in the house he used and it was directly across from his bedroom. Kreacher had set the paste and dittany by the sink and Harry felt a brief moment of shame as he looked around at the state of the room. Kreacher was under strict orders not to clean up after him. There were clothes and old soap bottles everywhere. Luckily, Kreacher has decided that sanitizing the washroom wasn’t directly picking up after him, so at least it was clean even if it was littered with a mess. He closed the toilet lid and gestured for Malfoy to have a seat. 

Harry decided to start with the dittany. The cut on Malfoy’s cheek actually looked fairly awful. Malfoy had wiped off the blood on his shirt before dinner and Harry hadn’t really thought about it since. “Shite, I’m an awful host. Here, start with this,” he said as he handed over the dittany, "your cheek looks terrible. Then take your shirt off and I can put some paste on your back. Are those bruises from today?”

Harry watched as Malfoy’s face stitched itself back together. Malfoy moved to remove his shirt, but then paused, “I could actually use a shower if it isn’t too much trouble?”

“Oh,” replied Harry, “of course. I’ll... er.. I’m sure I’d be able to make it to the bedroom without having issues with the bond, but I don’t think we should risk it tonight. I’ll just wait outside the door. The towels are in there.” Harry gestured to the large cupboard and then went outside and closed the door. He thought about the rags Malfoy was wearing and yelled: “maybe incendio that jumpsuit while you’re in there? I’ll lend you something else until we get your clothes.”

Malfoy grunted his assent and then Harry sat down so he could wait patiently for him to use the loo and shower. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was being prodded with a foot. Harry sat up straight and looked up at the foot’s owner. Malfoy was dripping wet with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His ribs were unnaturally prominent and his entire body was littered with bruising. Harry remembered Malfoy’s comment about the guards being less than accommodating and was immediately nauseous. He’d have to write Kingsley a letter in the morning about the treatment of prisoners. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably and the light caught on faint crisscrossing scars across his torso. Harry didn’t know if he had ever felt like more of an arsehole. Here he was judging people for hurting Malfoy while he himself once sliced him open. He didn’t know what to say. Was there anything you could say that would make almost killing someone alright? He started to open his mouth but genuinely couldn’t vocalize what he needed. 

Malfoy crossed his arms, “Don’t you dare Potter. It’s been a long bloody day and we have done so nicely pretending we don’t have a history. I had a warm meal, a hot shower, and I might even get some sleep tonight. I’m 99% certain that you’ll be sending me to Azkaban by the end of the day tomorrow, so please don’t ruin the rest of this day for me.”

“Right,” Harry replied, “I, uh, just need to use the loo.” He sidled by Malfoy and closed the door behind him. 

Harry took some time in the washroom to pull himself together. Malfoy was right after all; they had too much in their past. If they started talking about one incident, they’d probably have to talk through all of them and he was frankly just too exhausted to even consider it. He took a few more deep breaths, used the toilet, and then grabbed the bruise healing paste on the way out. Malfoy automatically followed him as he went into the bedroom. Harry handed over the jar and instructed him to start putting it on while he looked for pyjamas. He casually pushed the laundry off the bed on his way to the dresser. He found some tracksuit bottoms and a plain blue shirt to lend. It felt a bit weird to give Malfoy a pair of his pants, so he hoped he didn’t mind living without some for a night. 

As Harry spun around he witnessed Malfoy applying paste to a mark on his lower abdomen. Malfoy’s face was set in a concentrated pout and there was something oddly vulnerable about the whole situation. Harry felt the urge to flee but knew he would set off the bond. As an alternative, he spun around on his heel and studied the knobs on his dresser. After a bit, Malfoy cleared his throat and said, “if you don’t mind, could we make our way to the loo so I can use the mirror? I can’t see the ones on my back.” 

“Oh,” replied Harry as he turned back around, “er, I can help. It will probably be quicker and easier that way.”

Malfoy didn’t respond, but he did let Harry take the jar. Harry walked around him and started applying it to the first spot he saw. “The twins made this formula years ago, works wonders. We’ll probably have to apply it once more in the morning, but then they should all be gone by tomorrow night.” Malfoy nodded and Harry continued his ministrations. He slowly became aware of a flush creeping up the back of Malfoy’s neck, but instead of it reassuring him that he wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable, it made him even more anxious. Harry was sweating by the time he was done and practically threw the pyjamas at Malfoy. He then walked around the bed without looking back, took his trousers off, and virtually dove under the covers. Harry was tucked in and facing the wall when Malfoy spoke up: “Thank you. I’d ask you where to put this wet towel, but from the looks of it, you’d just say the floor…” 

Harry rolled over and saw that Malfoy was already dressed and holding the towel out. “Yeah, I’d probably say the floor…”

Malfoy rolled his eyes and dropped the towel. “Always knew you were a barbarian. If you would be so kind as to lend me a pillow and blanket, I’m sure I could fashion a decent bed out of all these clothes on the floor.”

“Don’t be daft. Like you’ve said, it’s been a long day. Just get in bed, we’ll figure everything out tomorrow.”

Malfoy slowly crawled in and the two boys found themselves shoulder to shoulder staring up at the ceiling together. “I’ve never felt more pathetic in my life,” whispered Malfoy.

“Yeah, but you’re so easy to be nice to when you’re pathetic,” Harry reflexively responded. Then he realized what he’d said and blurted: “ah, bugger, that’s not what I meant. You’re not pathetic. It’s not pathetic to accept help. I just mean.. I dunno, it’s been an odd day. I don’t think either of us expected to end up here by the end of it and I absolutely didn’t think it would seem this...civil.”

Malfoy snorted, but otherwise remained silent. 

“And for the record,” Harry continued, “I’m not going to be sending you back to Azkaban tomorrow night like you said earlier. Even if you do turn back into that pointy little git I used to know.”

“I don’t think anyone I know is the same person they were before the war, but don’t make promises you can’t keep, Potter.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Good.”

…

“Hey, Malfoy?”

“What?”

“I promise you’re not going back to Azkaban.”

They both turned their heads and made eye contact for a few seconds before Malfoy rolled over and curled up with his back to Harry. Harry drifted off almost immediately after that. 

===  
===

Harry woke up with something tickling his face. He shook his head and realized it was hair and that he was hugging someone from behind. His eyes shot open when he remembered who it was and he froze. He sincerely hoped Malfoy was still asleep. He tried to disentangle himself gracefully and quietly and then moved back to his side of the bed. He remained as motionless as possible while waiting to see if Malfoy was awake or not.   
Enough time passed that Harry thought he was safe to move, so he rolled out of bed. Malfoy clearly had a lot of rest to catch up on and Harry didn’t want to wake him. He went to sit at his desk and start to write some letters. First, he wrote to Kingsley. He explained the state Malfoy was in and urged him to open an investigation. Then, he wrote to Hermione. He explained to her what happened last night and asked if she remembered the details about the bond and how far away he could be from Malfoy. Lastly, he wrote to Ginny. He’d been avoiding her lately. To be fair, he had been avoiding everyone up until about a week ago. He particularly didn’t know how to act around Ginny though. They’d been giving each other space since the battle at Hogwarts to deal with their respective grief, but Harry always felt this underlying expectation that they would get back together when they were ready. And Harry wasn’t ready. She had written to him a few days ago to see if he wanted to catch up, but he hadn’t responded. He wrote to her now and explained everything that had been going on and told her he probably wouldn’t be free to see her anytime soon given the current situation.   
When he finished writing he addressed the letters and then poked his head into the hallway to whisper Kreacher’s name. He hadn’t had the heart to replace Hedwig, so he was currently without an owl. He very kindly asked a grumbling Kreacher to bring all the letters to Hermione and then hopefully some breakfast upstairs for him and Malfoy.   
Harry waited at his desk until Kreacher came back with a couple of plates loaded with a full english breakfast. “You’re a miracle Kreacher, thank you!” He ate everything on his plate and Malfoy was still sleeping when he was done. He decided he should maybe try to clean up while he was stuck in the room anyway. He cleaned up his desk first, including all of the paper strewn across the floor. Then all of his clothes and old towels. He asked Kreacher to take the dirty laundry and the little elf was far too pleased with the prospect. He gleefully snatched it and disappeared before Harry could change his mind. The room was spotless now. Harry was starting to get a little antsy being stuck in the room, so he sat down hard on the bed and gave a little bounce for good measure. Malfoy still didn’t wake.  
Some time later there was a tapping at the window. Harry recognized Hermione’s owl and let it in. Her response was short and sweet. She said her and Ron would stop by tomorrow again. She also said that Malfoy must stay within 10 metres of Harry. If they at least stayed on the same floor of the house, they should be fine without having to worry about it. Harry exhaled; he’d been dying to use the loo since he woke up and he made a mad dash to do just that. He spent some time cleaning up the washroom as well. When he was finished with that he went back to the bedroom to grab some clothes for the day and then went to take a shower.  
When he came back to his room Malfoy was sitting up. “Blimey, I thought you’d never wake up. You’ve missed breakfast and lunch I’d reckon, but I kept this under a stassis charm for you,” Harry said as he passed over the plate. Malfoy ate in silence as Harry rambled on about his productive morning, “and Hermione said as long as we stay together on the same floor of the house we should be good.”

“Fantastic,” replied Malfoy as he ate the last bite of his food and then left to use the loo. He came back shirtless with bruise healing paste all over his front. “You said one more application this morning, right?” He held the jar out to Harry questioningly. 

“Right, yeah, of course,” Harry said as he stood up and reached for the jar. He chanted in his head: don’t be weird about it. Don’t be weird about it. Don’t be weird about it. 

Malfoy turned around and Harry could immediately tell that the bruising was almost gone. He applied the paste as fast as he possibly could. Again, he noticed a flush on the back of Malfoy’s neck and immediately felt his own face burning. This would be no big deal if it was Ron or Hermione. He couldn’t figure out why this was so uncomfortable. 

After, Malfoy put his shirt back on and looked sheepishly at the bed. “Go for it,” Harry said, “I’ll ask Kreacher to bring me a book.” 

Malfoy gratefully crawled back into bed and was asleep within minutes.


	4. When will you believe me?

It was nightfall when Harry woke up with a book on his chest. Kreacher was nice enough to bring him a whole stack from the library. Including, but not limited to, some quidditch history, a romance novel with a Gilderoy Lockhart look-alike on the cover, Practical Household Magic, and Courting: A Wizard’s Tradition. He surmised that Kreacher wanted him to exercise, clean up, and find a wife. Instead, he chose the comic book Luna had sent him recently. It was a muggle one about a group of mutants called the X-men. He was really getting into it, but he didn’t remember when he had fallen asleep. 

He looked over at Malfoy who was facing him, but still asleep. Harry noticed Malfoy’s eyelashes were freakishly long and his shoulder length hair looked so soft. He would say he was beautiful if he wasn’t..you know.. Malfoy. He looked so peaceful in his sleep too, like he hadn’t been through hell and back. Harry was startled out of his staring when Kreacher spoke next to him: “Master Harry, there’s a Weasley at the door for you.” 

“Ah! Shh.. I mean, great, thanks.” Harry left his room, closed the door behind him and then froze at the top of the stairs before he yelled: “Er...I can’t come down there, come on up!”

Ginny appeared on the stairs and again, Harry startled. “I’d assumed it was Ron, hi Ginny. Did Hermione owl you my letter from earlier today?” 

“I was actually over at their loft this morning, she just gave it to me there,” Ginny replied as she reached the top of the stairs and crossed her arms. “You need to stop avoiding me Harry. I’m not going to bite and I miss my friend.”

“I’m not avoiding you..”

“Save it,” she interrupted, “you ARE. Have I made any suggestive hints that I’ve wanted anything more than your friendship right now?”

“Well, not yet I guess..”

“Merlin Harry, I’m not biding my time to pounce, I’m not a wild animal. I’ll never be able to understand what you went through last year, but you’ll never be able to comprehend what I went through either. I thought I lost you once and I can’t handle that again,” Ginny looked down at her hands briefly and took a deep breath, “we’re not the same people we used to be and we’re absolutely not children anymore. I’m not asking you for anything in the future and I wouldn’t be able to make you any promises either. I just want our friendship back. I bloody miss you and I need my friend right now, alright?”

“Of course Gin, I’m sorry,” Harry said as he pulled her into a hug.

She squeezed him back and then pulled away to look him in the eye. “I’m coming over with Ron and Hermione in the morning and if I catch you dodging me one more time, you’ll get a friendly reminder about how my bat-bogey hex feels. Capiche?”

Harry shuddered, “Got it. I won’t.”

At that, Ginny spun on her heel and let herself out. 

Harry went back into his room to find Malfoy paging through his comic. “They sounded angry, who was that?” Malfoy asked.

“Ginny Weasley. I think she just broke up with me?”

“Ouch. Tough luck.”

“Not really.. we weren’t even really dating. I’m actually relieved.”

“Bollocks Potter. There’s a book about courting on your bedside table,” Malfoy replied with an arched brow. 

Harry laughed, “It seems Kreacher has a few opinions on the way I’m living my life right now. There’s also a book of cleaning spells in there.”

Malfoy looked around, “did you read it while I was sleeping? I don’t remember being able to see the floor last night.” 

“Oh, belt up, it wasn’t that bad!”

“It’s probably why the ginger is so opposed to dating you. Did you try to bring her here once?” 

Harry grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it in Malfoy’s face, “blimey, you’re feisty when you wake up. Let’s go get some dinner.”

Malfoy caught the pillow before it hit him, “gotta be quicker than that scarhead.”

“Bugger off,” Harry chuckled as they made their way down to the kitchen together. 

Harry felt guilty about using Kreacher too frequently lately so he suggested they make something themselves. 

“You say that as if I know how to cook anything,” Malfoy said.

“Oh come on, you don’t even know how to boil water? There’s a simple spell for that I’m sure even you’ve heard at some point.”

“You’d need a wand for that, Potter.”

Harry couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed that Malfoy hadn’t used a wand since he got here. He even remembered finding Malfoy’s dirty jumpsuit in the washroom after Malfoy had agreed to incendio it. “Er...right. Where is your wand? Did we miss a step before leaving the Ministry? Were we supposed to go somewhere to collect your belongings or something?”

Malfoy gave him a deadpan stare, “did you honestly just ask me where my wand is?”

“...erm..yes?”

“I would imagine you had it somewhere in a drawer here. Please tell me you didn’t break it or toss it?!” 

“Oh, no, I gave it to the ministry, they said they would make sure it got to you…”

Malfoy hung his head, “no chance of that. They made me use my own clothes as rags when I was on clean up duty. Said they’d happily let me have them back if I ever got to leave. I highly doubt they left my wand in one piece.”

“Shite, I’m an idiot. I’ll ask Kingsley to ask around for it tomorrow…”

Harry remembered how scared Malfoy looked while they were all talking about voluntate at the table yesterday. He thought about how brave Malfoy had to be to come to his house and sit at a table, without a wand, while a bunch of people he thought hated him discussed what sorts of experiments they were going to try. Then he thought about how scary the alternative was if he was willing to do that instead. Azkaban must have been a nightmare. 

“Malfoy, Azkaban is supposed to be a punishment, but it’s not supposed to be a torture chamber. You’re going to need to write down the names of the guards and what they all did for me. I’ll make sure they’re not allowed to treat anyone like that in the future.”

“Sure, so they all know I snitched when I go back. Not likely.”

Malfoy was still staring at the ground. Harry grabbed his chin and pushed it up until he could look him in the eye. “I meant it. It’s over. No more Voldemort, no more Azkaban. Everything, it’s over.”

Malfoy’s lip started to tremble and Harry could see moisture gathering in his eyes. He shoved Harry’s hand off of his chin and spun until his back was to Harry. 

Harry wasn’t sure what to do. He decided it would be best to let Malfoy have some peace for a bit, so he started cooking. Pasta seemed like a safe and easy choice. He made some noodles and added a sauce from one of the jars in the cupboard. Next, he chopped some vegetables for a salad and placed everything on two plates. By the time he was done, Malfoy was composed and sitting at the table. He sat down with him as they ate in silence. When they were done, Malfoy asked Harry if he knew when his mother’s trial was going to be. He told him he didn’t but he was sure Hermione would know. They could ask her about it in the morning. 

===  
===

The boys decided they weren’t ready for bed yet as they spent most of the day sleeping. Harry suggested they head to the library. Malfoy expressed interest in the comic book he’d found on the bed earlier and Harry couldn’t help but point out that it was written by a muggle.

Malfoy turned a bit red and replied, “it may have been brought to my attention that everything I was told about muggles growing up isn’t necessarily true…”  
Harry agreed and told him he could read it if he liked. They went to Harry’s room to fetch it and then headed back to the library. Harry picked a book off the shelf at random and then found a comfy chair. Malfoy stretched out on the carpet with the comic laid out in front of him. 

“Let me know when you get to the page where they introduce Wolverine. I think that’s where I fell asleep and I want to know what happens next,” Harry said.

Malfoy replied with a nod, “sure.”

Harry had no idea what the book he was pretending to read was about. He couldn’t stop watching Malfoy. He was trying to figure out which parts were making him smile and which parts made him crease his brows. Malfoy always had been an expressive person. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Malfoy quickly turned his head and caught Harry staring. 

Harry quickly looked down at his book, but knew he was caught. He felt himself starting to blush. Malfoy didn’t mention it, thank Merlin, but he did say, “I think I’m at the part where you left off. Want to read it with me?” 

Harry said he did and then moved to lay down beside Malfoy on the floor. Harry realized his mistake as soon as he settled in. He misjudged the space and laid down much too close for comfort. They were touching shoulder to thigh. Harry immediately felt like squirming away, but thought Malfoy might take it as an insult; as if Harry was afraid to touch the big bad Death Eater. He decided to stay where he was. He realized Malfoy didn’t move away either, but he did seem to be holding his breath. 

“Er.. I guess we just say when we’re done with the page and then turn to the next when we’ve both finished?” Harry asked.

“Right. Sounds Good.”

Harry couldn’t focus at all. Every time he heard Malfoy say he was done reading, he would just wait a few seconds and then say he was as well. Whenever Malfoy moved to turn the page, his body would shift against Harry’s and it would set his heart racing. Why did this feel so good? Was he that deprived of human touch that his body was responding to Malfoy’s this actively? Gods, could they do this every day?

“If you like this one,” Harry found himself saying, “maybe we can go to a comic store sometime this week and pick out some more? Dudley always had a bunch of these. I’d read them sometimes when he was out of the house, but I’ve always wanted a collection of my own.”

“Who’s Dudley?”

“Oh, my cousin.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’d like that.”

They continued to read until they were finished. Harry made a mental note to go back and read it by himself one day so he could find out what he’d missed. They went upstairs to get ready for bed and Harry remembered that he hadn’t figured out a proper sleeping situation yet. Maybe tomorrow. Malfoy hadn’t mentioned anything about it either. Harry found it soothing to sleep next to someone. He’d slept better last night than he had in weeks. Maybe Malfoy felt the same way. They brushed their teeth and washed their faces and then silently got into bed together. Harry may have moved his leg further onto the other side of the bed as he was falling asleep, but it didn’t mean anything other than that it was comforting knowing he wasn’t alone. That was all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading! I don't have anyone reading it over for me, sorry if there are some grammatical errors. I'm also not British if you couldn't already tell. I'm trying to post a chapter every day, but will post every other at the very least. 
> 
> There should be less sleeping in the next chapters, Draco just needed to catch up! Also, warning now that the next chapters might turn a bit explicit...


	5. The Attic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of homophobia.

Harry once again woke up spooning Malfoy from behind. This time however, he was hard. Merlin, he was so hard. Malfoy might wake up any moment and then how would he explain this?! 

Malfoy suddenly whispered, “what was that?”

Harry squeaked out a quick “sorry!” and then backed up so quickly that he fell off the side of the bed with a bang and found himself tangled on the floor in the duvet. 

“No, I said, what was that? Didn’t you hear that?”

Then they heard someone yell: “Harry?” Followed by footsteps on the stairs.

That was Ron, thought Harry. He immediately looked at Malfoy who was staring at him with eyes the size of saucers. Then Harry glanced down and, Gods, Malfoy was having the same problem Harry was!

“I need that!” Malfoy exclaimed as he lunged toward Harry and started wrestling him over the duvet. Malfoy won quickly when he gave Harry’s hair a yank. “Ow! Do Malfoy’s have to play dirty at everything?”

Malfoy gave him a smug look as he piled the blanket over his lap. Harry had just enough time to pull his knees up to his chest before Ron opened the door. 

“Mornin’ Harry,” Ron said as he peered at Harry over the bed.

“Hi Ron.”

“Hm… did you sleep on the floor?”

“Yup. Yeah. On the floor,” Harry stuttered.

“...That’s weird mate. This house has so many rooms. Anyway, the girls are downstairs. We stopped for coffee and pastries on the way, come down before it gets cold,” and with that, he shut the door again.

Harry did not want to look back over at Malfoy, “It’s just the morning. Happens most mornings, yeah?”

Malfoy didn’t respond. Instead, he asked, “may I borrow some clean clothes?”

“Right. Sure,” he stood up and stiffly walked to the dresser. He chose some joggers with strings as Malfoy was still underweight as well as a white v-neck. Harry tossed them on the bed and Malfoy grasped them before practically running to the loo. 

Harry then spent a solid five minutes thinking about Dolores Umbridge and Mrs. Figg and Filch and Professor Quirrell and even Aragog for a bit. When he was ready, he picked out a clean pair of jeans and a muggle band t-shirt that he had found in Sirius’ room once. 

===  
===

When Harry and Malfoy made their way into the basement kitchen, Hermione was nowhere to be seen and Ron was in a heated argument with Ginny. 

“That’s ridiculous,” exclaimed Ginny, “it would be completely destroyed! On what planet would that be a good idea?”

“On any planet,” replied Ron, “have you ever seen one? You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.”

That’s when they both noticed who had entered the room. “You!” Ginny shouted as she pointed at Malfoy, “if there was no magic and no kitchen, what would be the best way to make a cheese toastie? You have 5 seconds to answer. Go!”

“What?” 

“Answer!”

“A… fire breathing dragon?” Malfoy answered skeptically.

“That’s brilliant,” said Ginny, “I change my answer, I want a dragon.”

“What?!” Ron yelled, “that’s basically the same thing I said!”

“Is not! With a blow torch, you’d just have a burnt sandwich. If you used a dragon, you’d still have a burnt sandwich, but at least you’d also have a dragon!”

Harry then asked: “What was your first answer, Ginny?” 

“She said she would iron it on an ironing board,” answered Ron for her, “she’s clearly just jealous that her answer was so boring.”

“Oh, bugger off,” said Ginny.

Ron tore off a piece of his pastry and threw it at her. Then he yelped as his chair toppled over backwards seemingly of its own accord. Harry looked at Ginny in time to see her pocketing her wand. She gave Harry a wink. 

“You’re both ridiculous,” Harry commented, “where’s Hermione?”

Harry sat down at the table and reached for a pastry and a coffee. He gestured for Malfoy to do the same. 

“She went to look for Kreacher in his bedroom,” Ginny told Harry.

Immediately after the war ended, Harry and Hermione tried to free Kreacher. However, offering him clothes or money upset him more than anything and eventually they had to agree to stop tormenting him over it. Then, they tried to convince him to work at Hogwarts where he could meet some other elves. He was equally disturbed by this idea. Grimmauld Place was his home and he never wanted to leave. In the end, they made some compromises. The kitchen was now Kreacher’s domain. He was allowed to clean, cook, and serve in there as long as he wanted to. He was under strict orders to take a break from doing any of the work if he ever felt like he didn’t want to or was ever too ill (he unsurprisingly hasn’t taken a break yet). The rest of the house was supposed to be Harry’s problem and Kreacher was told not to clean up after him in any other part of the home. 

The last piece of the compromise was Kreacher’s bedroom. Harry had asked Kreacher to run an errand for them and then they rushed to empty out the tiny room Kreacher was using as his den in the kitchen. They brought all of the stuff up to one of the first floor bedrooms. Next, they raided Regulus’ room for some photos and memorabilia. Lastly, they went to the attic. They found a few Black family heirlooms, most of which were, quite frankly, hideous. They decorated the bedroom as well as they could and surprised Kreacher with it when he came home. He wept so hard that Harry and Hermione thought they may have overdone it. Eventually, they were able to calm him down and he has been overtly kind to Hermione ever since. 

===  
===

Hermione entered the kitchen, “I couldn’t find Kreacher. Good morning Harry. Morning Malfoy. How has everything been going?”

Malfoy glanced at Harry before responding, “surprisingly well, thank you for asking.”

“Fantastic,” Hermione responded.

Ron chimed in with: “Harry’s been sleeping on the floor in his room.”

“Really?” asked Hermione, “aren’t any of the other bedrooms cleaned yet?”

“Er..no,” Harry answered as he squirmed a little, “he’s been exhausted, we’ve been sleeping mostly..”

“Hm.. well we could help you figure it out today. Honestly, I’ve been dying to spruce the place up. It’s still so gloomy.”

“Ooh yeah,” Ginny said, “let’s paint everything neon and then throw a party!” 

“I can feel a headache coming on already. Maybe not neon,” Harry decided.

Hermione pointed out that it might be a good idea to give Harry and Malfoy some projects while they were stuck in the house together. She summoned some paper and they began to throw around ideas while they finished up their breakfast. The kitchen reminded Harry of sitting with Sirius and Lupin. They decided a fresh coat of white paint would brighten it up but they would otherwise leave it as is. They would also stay away from the 4th floor. All that was there were the rooms where Sirius and Regulus lived. He wasn’t ready to touch those yet. 

Everything else was fair game. By the time they were done, Hermione had filled at least three pages. She handed over the list to Harry and he looked down with a sense of doom. It was overwhelming to see it all written down in Hermione’s neat script. Where would they start?

Malfoy, who had been silent the entire time, recognized Harry’s panicked expression and chimed in with: “I wouldn’t mind putting together a comprehensive list of projects in the most logical order.”

Harry raised his eyebrows and silently handed the list to Malfoy. 

Malfoy shrugged, “I quite like stuff like this.” There was an unmistakable look of glee on his face and Harry wondered what he’d gotten himself into. 

The group decided they didn’t have anything better planned today so they might as well start. It was Saturday after all. They would start from the top until Malfoy had time to look over the list and make a better plan. They went to the attic first. It was a large space with plenty of windows. Ginny had the idea that it would be a fun place to get friends together. They could put a music player and some lights, but first, they would have to clear it out. It had already been emptied of dark magic and any dangerous objects, but it was still stock full of junk. They tasked themselves with making piles. One for trash, one for donation, one for Kreacher, and one for storage. 

The gang split up and started at opposite sides of the room so they could make their way toward the middle. It was hard work. Harry was sweating and sore by the time Kreacher brought up some sandwiches. Ron pointed to an empty corner of the floor and they sat down to enjoy their lunch. Ron kept trying to talk to him, but Harry was far too distracted. He could not stop thinking about this morning. Was Malfoy awake before he was? Why didn’t he push him away? And THEN, those joggers! What a mistake. Malfoy was practically on display all morning. Harry would definitely have to lend him some pants next time. Maybe that would keep Malfoy more… contained. It was just so distracting. Harry had practically demanded that the group split up to get work done and then he had strongly suggested that Hermione and Ginny take Malfoy with them after the girls said they would work together. The look of betrayal sent his way was indisputable. Malfoy was clearly apprehensive about being sent away with Ginny and Harry couldn’t really blame him. 

“Hullo...earth to Harry..” Ron said as he waved his hand in front of Harry’s face.

“Sorry.. What were you saying?”

“What’s going-” 

Harry threw up a quick muffliato. “I think I’m bent,” he blurted before he could stop himself. 

“Oh! Uh...congratulations?”

“Congratulations?! On bloody what? This is a disaster!”

“Well I dunno! What am I supposed to say?!”

“I dunno! Maybe tell me I’m being stupid and I’m not?!”

“I mean,” Ron began, “it’s fine if you are. I was just a bit surprised is all. Ginny said you broke up officially last night, did it have something to do with this?”

“No, not at all. We just grew apart I think. And that’s the thing, I wasn’t faking it, it was all real. Ginny, Cho, every crush I’ve ever had was real. I’ve never been interested in a bloke before. Maybe my body is just confused? He is really pretty after all, kinda looks like a girl from some angles?”

“Wait, who’s he?”

Harry stared at his trainers and for the thousandth time that week felt his face burning hot red. 

“Oh noooo. No Harry, tell me it’s not him! Ugh, maybe there IS something wrong with you. The ferret?!”

Harry continued to stare at his feet as he remembered everything the Dursley’s used to say about nancy boys and deviances. 

“Oh. No Harry,” Ron said as he scooted closer and put a hand on his shoulder, “that’s not what I meant. Sorry mate. I don’t mind if you’re bent or bisexual or whatever it is you figure out that you are. I just meant Malfoy in particular…”

“It’s not like I planned on it.”

“Yeah I know. Remember that know-it-all girl that used to drive me up the wall when we were little? Can’t choose who you fall in love with. Lust, however… if you’re just randy, let’s redirect you while we can! Shall I floo Neville and ask if he’s bent? Remember when those rumors about him and Ernie Macmillan were going around? Maybe they were true! Plus, everyone keeps saying he grew up to be so pretty. The Daily Prophet printed a front page story about what a sexy snake slayer he was, did you see that?! George cut it out and framed it at the shop. Made Neville pose by it for a photo last time he came in. It was priceless!”

Harry gave him a sardonic look.

“Alright,” Ron acquiesced, “I’ll stop. Just be careful, yeah? He seems different, but he’s still the same git that broke your nose and left you to rot. I just.. I just want you to be happy. Whatever that entails.”

Harry thanked Ron and promised he’d be careful. Ron gave him a brief pat on the back and then they went back to sorting through ugly heirlooms. 

When they were too exhausted to continue, they trudged through the junk to find the rest of the group. Hermione, Ginny, and Malfoy all agreed they were ready to call it a night and they made their way to the basement for food. The night passed all too quickly with them catching each other up on their progress and having a competition to see who found the ugliest item today. Hermione won when she described, in detail, a troll arm that she assumed was a matching set to the umbrella stand in the entryway. “A couple of the fingernails were just flapping about!”

Soon enough, they were saying their goodbyes. 

“Oh Harry,” Hermione said, “why didn’t you remind us to get a room ready for Malfoy? I got totally swept away with the attic. Will you be alright on the floor for one more night? We'll get it sorted tomorrow.”

“Oh no worries,” Harry brushed it off and rushed them through their goodbyes. 

The boys made their way upstairs and remained silent while they waited for each other to shower and get ready for bed. After much procrastination, they were eventually standing on their respective sides of the bed waiting to get in. 

“Who knew it would take so many days to get a room cleaned,” Malfoy awkwardly laughed about.

“Er… yeah. I can actually sleep on the floor if…”

“No. No, it’s fine.”

They both crawled in and laid shoulder to shoulder. Harry was frozen, he didn’t dare move. It felt like an eternity passed. Eventually, Malfoy turned on his side with his back to Harry. Harry let out a breath and turned on his side as well so he was looking at the back of Malfoy’s head. This position did not help at all. All he could think about was how closely this resembled the morning. His heart started racing and his cock started to fill. He told himself to calm down and think about something disgusting, but it wasn’t helping. Then, Malfoy squirmed. The movement pushed him closer to Harry. They were so close. Just a tiny movement from Harry and they would be touching. Did Malfoy move back on purpose? Harry shuffled forward until his chest was flush against Malfoy’s back. He froze again, waiting to be scolded or pushed away. 

Instead, Malfoy very deliberately pushed his arse back into Harry’s lap and Harry saw stars. He immediately grabbed Malfoy’s hip and let out an involuntary moan. Malfoy did it again and Harry started to move with him. A few more thrusts and then Harry noticed Malfoy’s arm moving. The idea that Malfoy was touching himself was more than enough to send Harry over the edge. He bit down on Malfoy’s shoulder and squeezed his hip as he came harder than he could ever remember coming in his life. He felt Malfoy stiffen and Merlin, he wished he could have felt Malfoy come in his hand. They laid there for some time after, trying to catch their breath.

Harry rolled over to the bedside table and grabbed his wand. He directed a cleaning spell at himself first and then another at Malfoy, who muttered a quick thanks.

Harry tried to think of something to say, but he fell asleep before he could figure it out.


	6. Let's Play Pretend

Harry woke up to an empty bed. He rubbed his eyes, slowly sat up, and then spotted Malfoy sitting at the desk. He smiled to himself as he remembered the previous night and wondered if he could convince Malfoy to get back in bed and reenact it. Instead, he just said, “good morning, what are you doing up so early?” 

“Morning. I had a few letters to write. I hope you don’t mind I used your parchment and supplies. I’ll also need to borrow your owl if that’s acceptable. Additionally, I’ve revised and organized the to-do-list for your home and I’ve created a shopping list,” Malfoy replied while he continued to write.

“Blimey, how long have you been awake?”

“A while. I took the liberty of finding some clean clothes, I assumed you wouldn’t object.”

Harry noticed a cup of tea and a couple of empty plates. “Did you sleep at all?”

Malfoy didn’t answer. 

Harry added: “oh, and I don’t have an owl.”

Malfoy finally turned around to look at him, “You don’t have an owl?! What kind of wizard doesn’t have an owl?”

“Hedwig, uh, my owl, was killed. Last year.”

Malfoy just stared at him for a little bit as he processed this information. Instead of commenting on it, he said, “you should get ready for the day. Your friends will be here soon.”

===  
===

Harry had tried to talk to Malfoy about the previous night multiple times while he was getting ready, but Malfoy kept brushing him off and saying he was busy. Harry decided to let it go for now. They were currently sitting at the kitchen table with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and this time, George as well. Hermione had already agreed to take Malfoy’s letters and owl them for him. Now, they were looking at his shopping list. Hermione and Ron said they would be willing to do the shopping, but they wouldn’t be able to go until next Saturday.

“It would be nice to get out of the house,” Harry interjected, “do you think Malfoy and I could use polyjuice or something and go ourselves?”

“I don’t see why not,” replied Hermione, “in fact, nothing on this list necessarily needs to be bought in wizarding establishments. You could go to a muggle area and you’d be much less likely to be recognized. And unless you have polyjuice lying around, you’re going to have to make it work with some spellwork. Hide the scar and change Malfoy’s hair color for sure.”

Ginny joined in and said: “I don’t think you would be at risk of being mobbed again in a muggle area. If anyone did recognize you, it would probably only be two or three people. You could easily find a hiding place to apparate out of there before a horde of wizards showed up. Plus, if somebody snaps a photo of you two, who cares? It’s not like it would be a shock. The Prophet hasn’t been talking about anything these past couple of days besides you two. Everyone and their mother knows about the proximity bond.”

“That’s true,” George said, “and, Harry, you avoided Voldemort for 17 years. I think you’ll be able to steer clear of a few rabid fans for an afternoon mate.”

Harry had to concede to that. Malfoy was pretending to read through his notes and did not comment. 

“Hermione,” Harry said, “I have a question for Luna. Can I send a letter home with you as well?”

“Of course Harry. Anytime. I do think you need to start thinking about getting yourself an owl, though. I know it’s hard, but it’s just not realistic to not have one. Especially when you’re at home so frequently. Honestly, if you won’t get one for yourself, at least get one for Draco. He told me yesterday that he hasn’t been able to contact his mother or his attorney. He didn’t even know her trial was this coming week. And get him his own clothes. And a wand. Honestly, Draco, just make a second shopping list for yourself. Harry would be happy to get it all on your excursion, won’t you Harry?”

Harry felt properly chastised. “Of course. I’ve had a lot on my mind… and we’ve been so busy. I meant to. I will…”

“If you could just lend me some money, I can pay you back when I have access to my bank account again,” Malfoy said.

“No, of course not. I offered to take you in. You’re my guest.”

“I’m not your guest, I’m your parolee…” Malfoy said.

Nobody commented or ammended him.

===  
===

They decided to start with Malfoy’s room today. Harry had already claimed the largest room on the third floor, but there were two others to choose from. Malfoy would have his pick first and the other bedroom would be turned into an office of sorts. Somewhere cozy where the boys could waste time if one of them was busy showering or sleeping or who knows what in their bedroom. 

Malfoy chose the room at the farthest end of the hall. Hermione, Ginny, and Malfoy went in there to clean it up while Ron, George, and Harry were in charge of cleaning the new office room. They got rid of a doxy infestation, emptied the dresser, closet, and desk, and sent the bedding with Kreacher for laundering. The entire process only took about 2 hours and Harry admitted he probably should have gotten it done the first day. Nevertheless, it was now functional as a bedroom. They would be able to transform it into an office after the shopping excursion. They thought about transfiguring the furniture, but didn’t think it would last forever. 

The boys walked down the hallway to see if there was any help needed in Malfoy’s new room. However, when they entered the room, it was spectacularly clean and tidy. Hermione, Ginny, and Malfoy were seated in a circle on the bed having an animated conversation. All three of them turned toward the doorway when the other group entered. Ginny cancelled the muffliato that was set over them and said, “hey! Took you long enough. All done?”

“What’s with the muffliato Gin,” Ron asked, “sharing secrets in here?”

No one on the bed answered. 

“I think we should continue working on the attic again if everyone’s ready?” Hermione asked.

Everyone begrudgingly agreed. They split up into the same teams and set off. Ron immediately set his own muffliato around him, Harry, and George. He then went off on a rant about the situation downstairs.

“What were they hiding down there? What could they possibly have to keep a secret from us that they would be willing to share with Malfoy? Malfoy! Of all people! Did you see how fast they all whipped around and closed their mouths? What was that about?”

“Hermione’s probably just lamenting about her abysmal sex life,” George responded, “can’t expect her to keep silent after I’m sure she’s had to lay eyes on your bare arse by now!” 

Ron’s face became impossibly red. 

Harry yelled, “Ugh! Don’t put images in my mind!”

===  
===

Ron and George unintentionally entertained Harry for the rest of the day. Ron was hell bent on getting revenge for George’s comment. He pulled the first prank and it spiralled out of control from there. The best thing that happened that day was the portrait of an elderly wizard named Brinley following Ron around through the various portraits found throughout the attic. George had apparently found the man in a small portrait and gave him a little chat about what he called: Ronald’s sexual disorders. 

Occasionally, one of the boys would unearth a portrait and up Brinley would pop, yelling something along the lines of: “Ronald! Your brother has told me what you did to that poor teddy bear. You are still so young, there is still time for your soul to recover! Please seek guidance!” Ron would throw the portrait into the trash pile, but soon enough Brinley would find him again. Toward the end of the day, there was a chorus of cackling from the other side of the attic before they heard Ginny yell: “Ron, Brinley here is spilling all of your gross secrets, please make it stop!”

Ron ran over there and began shouting at the portrait, much to the amusement of Ginny, Malfoy, and Hermione. Eventually Hermione had to chime in to get Ron to calm down. She asked Brinley to kindly leave Ron alone. He only agreed after she assured him that they were going to get Ron the help he needed and they were equally as disturbed and alarmed as Brinley himself was. 

After many jokes from the group and severe grumbling from Ron, they decided to end the day there. Malfoy said he was tired and requested they go directly to the 3rd floor for bed. “Can you ask Kreacher to bring you dinner upstairs, Potter? I’m too exhausted to stay up any longer,” he said. 

Everybody went their separate ways. When Harry and Draco made it downstairs, Malfoy, without so much as a word to Harry, entered his new bedroom and shut the door. Harry was left in the hallway in a bit of a shock. What was that about? He was kind of hoping Malfoy would agree to stay in his room again tonight…

He knocked on the door once, but there was no response. He decided he would give Malfoy the space he clearly wanted and then went to his bedroom before asking Kreacher to bring him some food. 

===  
===

There was an owl patiently waiting on his desk when Harry woke up in the morning. He recognized it immediately as Luna’s. Her owl usually spent the day with him when it came to his house. It would follow Harry around and stare at him with curious eyes, not unlike Luna’s eyes themselves. Today, however, would be too busy. He offered a large handful of treats, wrote a quick thank you to Luna, and told the bird he was welcome to stay, but the house would be empty today aside from Kreacher. The little owl immediately flew into the hallway and Harry imagined it following a grumpy Kreacher around for the day. He momentarily thought about chasing it and asking it to go home, but he thought Kreacher could use the company. 

Harry was hoping he would get less of a cold shoulder from Malfoy today, but he wasn’t certain. He decided to get ready for the day first. When he was done, he asked Kreacher for some breakfast, found some clothes for Malfoy, and then went to knock on his door. A bleary eyed Malfoy opened up with a quick nod and a questioning glance and Harry busted out the speech he had been preparing all last night and this morning:

“I’m sorry if you didn’t want what happened the other night to happen.. I clearly misread the situation and I’m sorry if I took advantage of you. I promise I will not touch you again. Please don’t avoid me forever, that would be a hell of a long year. If you’ll forgive me, I would love to pretend it never happened and take you out shopping today like we had planned. I’d understand if you didn’t want to join me however, and we could still ask Hermione and Ron to go next weekend instead. Would that be better for you?”

Malfoy stood very still for a bit while he tried to come up with the best answer. After some time, he responded with: “You didn’t take advantage of me. I would, however, appreciate it if we both kept our hands and… everything else to ourselves from now on. I’d be agreeable to an outing today.”

“Oookay… here’s some breakfast and some clothes. I’ll wait for you in my room until you’re ready.”

===  
===

It wasn’t until they emerged onto Carnaby Street that Harry realized Malfoy had probably never been in a muggle area this crowded before. Malfoy was staring wide eyed at the throng of people around him. 

“Have you ever even been inside a muggle store before?” Harry asked. 

“Definitely not,” he responded, “this wasn’t exactly the type of place mother or father would ever be caught dead in.” 

“Right. Well it’s not terribly busy since it’s a Monday. Inside the shops should be quieter than the street at least.”

For the next few hours, Harry spent more money on junk than he ever had in his life. And nothing he bought was on the list they had with him. Taking Malfoy into the shops was like taking a kid to Honeydukes or taking Arthur Weasley to a muggle hardware store. Malfoy was fascinated by everything. His eyes would light up and he would exclaim: “what the bloody hell is this?!” 

Harry had only ever been shopping with the Weasleys before when he would always feel guilty about spending unnecessary amounts of money. Shopping with Malfoy was so much different. “Five pounds?! What’s that in knuts? That’s hardly anything. You need this Potter! Your house is so dull,” he declared over a brightly colored soap dispenser. Harry chuckled, but conceded. 

Eventually, they walked in front of a clothing shop and Harry noticed Malfoy lingering a bit longer than usual. “At least this is actually on the list,” Harry said, “let’s go in and see what they have in your size.” Almost immediately, Malfoy was swept away by a store clerk. Her eyes gleamed when she saw the number of bags they were carrying and they practically popped out of her head when Malfoy, in his posh accent, said he lost his entire wardrobe in a tragedy and needed to replace it. Harry found a corner with some comfortable chairs and made himself at home. He was almost asleep by the time Malfoy reappeared. Malfoy looked around sheepishly and then said: “you’re wanted at the register. I’ve found the clothes to be surprisingly stylish and well made… I do promise to repay this debt… at a later date, obviously…”

Harry balked at the price when he got to the counter. There was an unbelievable number of bags piled around. “I may have given her your measurements as well,” Malfoy said, “your closet seemed to be...lacking...in some areas.”

Harry rolled his eyes and then handed over the debit card Hermione had helped him obtain. He cast a discreet lightening charm on all of the bags before they tried to collect them all. When they exited the store, Harry said: “we’re going to have to go home and drop these all off. The muggles won’t believe we’re able to carry all of this without some sort of magic.” So, they snuck into a dark alley, apparated home, and deposited the bags in the entryway before apparating back. 

“I may have gotten carried away today,” Malfoy admitted, “perhaps we should actually try to tackle the shopping list I’ve prepared?”

“Meh,” Harry replied, “the day’s almost over anyway. I have one more fun shop to go to and then let’s come back tomorrow with an actual plan, yeah?”

They both agreed, but decided they should stop somewhere for lunch first.


	7. Cab Rides

Malfoy had never had Indian food before and he was in heaven. Harry, on the other hand, was miserable. How was he supposed to keep himself from thinking about or mentioning the other night when Malfoy was sitting right there moaning over his meal! Harry had never eaten faster in his life. If he kept his mouth busy with food, maybe he could stop himself from blurting out nonsense for once. 

“We should have stopped for lunch earlier, I didn’t realise you were so hungry…” Malfoy observed.

“I wasn’t… It’s just really good,” replied Harry.

“I could ask the server for a bigger spoon? Perhaps a shovel?”

“Very funny. I’m full anyway, are you ready to go?”

“We only got our food 10 minutes ago. Some of us aren’t trying to choke to death on it, Potter.”

“Well, catch up, you’re behind.”

Malfoy squinted at him, “are we in a hurry? I thought you said you just had one more store today. Do you have plans for this evening that I don’t know about?”

Harry didn’t know how to respond. Of course there wasn’t actually a reason to rush. All they were going to do was head home later and Harry would probably still have to sit and try to keep his mouth closed. 

Harry grumbled, “of course not. How am I supposed to have plans when I can’t go anywhere without you?”

Malfoy looked stricken. “I don’t mean to put such a damper on your social life. I’m sure the Saviour of the Wizarding World has a different party to go to every night. You might as well just drop me off with a guard on your way out.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Well then throw your invisibility cloak over me. Cast some spells so I can’t hear or talk. You could blindfold me as well, though then you’d probably have to keep a hand on me so I didn’t run into any of your precious admirers. Hell, maybe you could just put me on a leash and parade me around, I’m sure your fans would love that,” Malfoy fumed.

Harry was torn between outrage that Malfoy would suggest he would do things like that and arousal at hearing Malfoy talk about Harry putting his hands on him. 

Malfoy’s eyes bulged out of his head when Harry didn’t respond right away, “are you actually considering that?!”

“Of course not!” Harry exclaimed, “I was just trying to get the image of you in a blindfold out of my head.” 

Malfoy blushed hard and looked down at his plate, “I thought we weren’t going to talk about anything like that anymore.”

“I don’t remember you saying no talking about it… just not actually doing it. And I didn’t mean you’re ruining my social life, as if I have one, just that I wouldn’t make plans unless you agreed to them so how would I have plans tonight if you had no idea about them?”

Malfoy stared at him for a while, but appeared to have calmed down. “No talking about it either.”

“What?”

“No talking about... that.”

“I’m just supposed to pretend it didn’t happen? How are you so calm about everything? It was us, you and me. Forever rivals, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.”

“I know who we ARE! Of course I know who we are, how could I possibly forget?! You’re the golden boy! The quidditch star! The saviour of the bloody world! And I’m me, scum of the Earth, otherwise known as Draco Malfoy. You don’t have to point out the differences to me, I know them intimately. I’m your current Death Eater prisoner and I’m asking you to not talk about US as if it is an us. It never will be. Unless you’re about to make it part of your terms for my parole, at which point, I will consider my options.” 

Harry’s jaw dropped, “is that why the other night happened? You thought it was a demand from me as your guardian?”

“Of course not! You’re too YOU to do something like that, I just wasn’t thinking straight. I shouldn’t have let it happen.”

Harry wasn’t sure how to respond. He wasn’t thinking straight either when it happened. Hell, he still wasn’t thinking straight. “I don’t know what it is about you that makes me lose my mind,” he said.

They sat in silence for a bit. Then, Malfoy chuckled, “can you imagine telling our 12 year old selves that we would one day have a somewhat civil conversation over lunch?”

Harry laughed. “Oh Merlin, imagine Trelawney trying to tell us we’d be flatmates one day!” 

Malfoy nearly spit out his drink. They both started laughing so hard that people sitting next to them started sending annoyed looks their way. 

===  
===

They managed to finish eating without getting into another argument, but Harry wasn’t sure how the next place was going to go. He had asked Luna for a comic book store recommendation as the only comics he’s ever read had come from her. She wrote back with her favorite store and even gave Harry the name of her friend that works there. 

Harry was getting nervous about asking Malfoy to go there. It had sounded like a brilliant idea in his head, but now he was supposed to be acting like he wasn’t attracted to this git when, in fact, it was all he could think about. He didn’t want Malfoy to think he just wanted to get comics so they could read them together.. but.. he did just want them so they could read together. 

As they stepped out onto the street, Malfoy asked where they were headed.

“Well, er, I heard there’s a store down this way that has comic books. Do you want to check it out? Or we could just go home. Whatever you want,” Harry shrugged. 

Malfoy practically started bouncing on his toes, “let’s do that!” 

Harry couldn’t help grinning, “okay, let’s do that,” he said, “it’s this way I think.”

It only took a few minutes to get there and before they knew it they were stepping inside. Almost immediately they heard someone say: “Harry Potter?” Harry froze. He didn’t recognize the voice. He slowly swivelled around only to find himself face to face with violently blue hair. 

Harry braced himself for a teary show of gratitude and felt himself inwardly cringe. Instead, the girl just beamed up at him and said: “Luna talks about you all the time, I knew it was you immediately. This must be Draco? She told me Harry never goes anywhere without you. It’s so adorable, I hope one day I can experience that kind of love. She was right though, you look so beautiful together! Totally unfair.”

“Er…” Harry wasn’t sure what to say. He glanced over at Malfoy and he seemed to be having the same problem. It looked like he couldn’t decide whether to sneer at the girl or laugh in her face. 

“Ugh, you’re basically mirrors of each other. Too cute. Anyway, I have a few ideas of which comics you might like based on what Luna told me. Do you want me to show you around? Otherwise feel free to browse on your own.”

Harry wanted to make a quick getaway. However, he looked around the store and was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of displays and bold colors. Some guidance would be welcome. Even if it meant letting this random girl think he was in love with Draco bloody Malfoy. 

He told the girl (who he later found out to be named Emma) that he would be grateful for some recommendations. He refused to look back and see Malfoy’s reaction, but he was pretty sure he could guess what face he was making now. 

Turns out, Harry made the right choice. Almost an hour later and they had a large stack of comics that Harry couldn’t wait to read. Emma really did seem to know exactly what they would enjoy. She reminded Harry of Luna and he took an immediate liking to her. He could tell that Malfoy felt the same. By the time they left the store, they had already made plans to spend Friday night with Emma and Luna. As long as Luna was available. Harry made a mental note to owl her as soon as possible. 

At this point in the day the streets were starting to get too busy for them to find a hidden spot for apparition. Harry decided to hail them a cab. He found one relatively quickly, but when he started to get in he realized Malfoy had not moved from the sidewalk. Harry raised his eyebrows and gave him a look that was clearly meant to say: “what are you doing?”

“Absolutely not,” Malfoy said. 

They spent a few minutes arguing over it before the cabbie yelled: “Hey! Either in or out, I’m workin’ here!”

Harry shut the door and watched as the car sped away. 

They spent the next 20 minutes arguing about cabs. Malfoy was adamant that he would rather walk for two hours to get home than have to get in one of those death traps. Harry on the other hand thought this was hilarious and refused to go home without Malfoy riding in one at least once. 

“It’s all part of the muggle experience,” Harry told him, “what, now you’re suddenly back to your anti-muggle ways?”

Malfoy scowled at him and Harry thought for a moment he was about to be hit. Instead, Malfoy seemed to pull himself together and then told Harry, “fine, call another one.”

Harry wasn’t about to leave him any time to reconsider. He spun on his heel and immediately started waving down cabbies. Eventually, one pulled over and Harry opened the door and did the most pretentious bow he could muster for Malfoy as he waved him inside. Harry told the driver he lived at number 11 Grimmauld Place as he always had to lie when telling muggles his address and then they were off. There was an immediate sharp pain in Harry’s right thigh. Malfoy was gripping him so tightly that Harry had a brief moment of thinking he might draw blood. He was about to tell Malfoy to lay off when he glanced over and caught sight of his face. Malfoy looked absolutely terrified. He looked pale and sweaty and he refused to take his eyes off of the road in front of them. Harry decided to let him almost tear his leg off as long as it would keep Malfoy from vomiting on him instead. He decided it would be poor timing for cracking jokes so he just let Malfoy be and kept a close eye on him as they continued driving. He decided if it actually did look like he might puke then he would have them pull over immediately. 

Not long after, they were pulling up in front of Grimmauld Place. Harry handed over a few pounds and then opened his door. Before he even had a chance to step outside, Malfoy was literally climbing over him. Harry caught an elbow to the face and he wasn’t totally certain it was unintentional. By the time he made it out of the cab, Malfoy was standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at Harry and absolutely fuming. 

Harry thought it might be best not to push his luck, so he kept his head down and slowly made his way up the stairs to unlock the door. He only got a few steps in before he was tackled from behind. 

“You really are trying to kill me, aren’t you?!” Malfoy screamed as Harry struggled underneath him and tried to get his own fists involved. 

“It was just a car, don’t be such a drama queen!”

“That was NOT JUST A CAR THAT WAS THE WORST INVENTION OF ALL TIME. WE ALMOST CRASHED SEVEN TIMES. SEVEN TIMES!” Malfoy wailed as he tried to land a few blows.

Luckily, Malfoy was still rather scrawny and Harry was able to defend himself from most of the attack. Eventually he was able to gain enough leverage by kicking off of the floor to flip them over. He landed on top of Malfoy with a grunt and quickly pinned his hands above his head. Malfoy was still wriggling like a maniac.

“Calm down, I won’t make you ride in one again, I promise.” 

“It’s not about that! You forced me to get into an evil death trap just to prove to you I wasn’t a bigoted areshole anymore! Why do I keep having to prove that when we both know that I’m not the only areshole here, you stupid wanker!”

“Fine, I’m an arsehole! Will you stop trying to hit me now?!”

Malfoy finally stopped fighting back and Harry sagged in relief. Unfortunately this gave his mind some time to process that he was lying on top of the boy he recently had a very good night with. He saw the exact moment Malfoy came to the same conclusion. Harry froze. He definitely didn’t want to get up, but he didn’t want to do anything stupid either. He wanted to wait and see what Malfoy would do.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. 

“Are you going to get off of me?” Malfoy whispered.

“Only if you ask me to,” Harry replied.

Harry wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but it didn’t matter. Suddenly they were snogging and he couldn’t care less how they got there or that his ribs hurt from a few punches that landed earlier. He let go of Malfoy’s hands and rolled them back over so he could stop worrying about crushing him. Malfoy immediately started moving on top of him and Harry had a brief moment of awareness when he realized he would probably let Malfoy do anything he ever wanted right about now. But then, Malfoy started sucking at his neck and Harry lost all coherent thought. 

Slowly, Malfoy started putting his hands under Harry’s shirt and Harry felt like he was on fire. He sat up slightly so Malfoy could pull his shirt off. That’s when there was a knock on the door. 

Malfoy used Harry’s chest to launch himself into the air until he was standing over him. 

“Bloody hell!” yelled Harry.

Malfoy looked wildly around at the entrance hall. There were bags strewn around from their shopping excursion. He grabbed a couple and said, “I’ll let you get the door. I’ll just bring these upstairs.” Then he started toward the staircase.

Harry was barely up off the ground when he felt a pain in his left hand and a yelp from the staircase followed by: “bloody fuck!” and feet stampeding their way back down the staircase. Malfoy appeared at the bottom looking sheepish. “Stupid bond,” he said.

Whoever was waiting at the door knocked again. Harry moved to open it, but Malfoy stopped him: “put your shirt on Potter!” 

Harry found his shirt and put it on before finally opening the door to find Luna beaming at him. 

“Did you know your front door isn’t sound proof, Harry?” She asked with a smile on her face.


End file.
